It was a hectic race right from the start, which took its toll on the riders. Heavy rainfall overnight had made the course soft and sticky. Nevertheless, the pace was kept high on every climb. Alban Lakata in particular, but also Hannes Genze and the two Swiss riders Thomas Stoll and Urs Huber, were on the attack. It was Stoll who tried to bring about a preliminary decision on the last third of the route to Todtnau. Only Stöckli team-mate Huber and Lakata were able to follow. Meanwhile Genze fell back slightly. When Huber tried to break away 16 km before the finish but was unable to get away decisively, Lakata counterattacked and was successful with his counterattack. He reached the finish 19 seconds ahead of Huber. But not over Huber. Genze was able to catch up with the two Swiss riders in the final kilometers and immediately sprinted past them to take second place. Huber came third, Stoll fourth and Sandro Spaeth, the winner from 2005.

Lakata, fourth in last year's Marathon World Cup final standings, struggled with just one problem: "I had pumped the tires a little too hard. On the damp surface, this was sometimes noticeable with poor traction," explained the Austrian, who otherwise spoke of a race that went according to plan. Genze, on the other hand, was euphoric: "When the group of three pulled away, I gave up hope that I could make contact again. The fact that I was even able to move up to second place is fantastic."

In the previous week, the German marathon champion had proven his improving form by winning the iXS swiss bike classic "Elsa Bike Trophy" in western Switzerland. "Winning the Bike Trophy confirmed to me that a top result is possible in Kirchzarten," explained Genze, who has set himself the German Cross-Country Championships and the European Marathon Championships at the St. Wendel Bike Marathon as further goals.

Urs Huber wavered between joy at his first podium finish on the long distance and disappointment at missing out on second place. "I didn't think that Genze would be able to catch up again," said Aargauer, who finished sixth in the Black Forest last year.The outcome of the women's race corresponded to the final Marathon World Cup result in 2006: Pia Sundstedt ahead of Esther Süsss. "I just rode my pace without any special tactics," said Sundstedt, who had already won the World Cup opening race on Gran Canaria this year and had last won in Kirchzarten in 2005. Süss lacked the luck in the women's race, which was characterized by large time gaps, to achieve a better position: "Just when I was able to close the gap to Sundstedt to one minute, I had to stop and change my bike due to a flat tire." Last year's winner Dolores Rupp had to struggle with the consequences of a fall (on foot!) that happened on Friday before the race, finishing in third place just under seven minutes behind.

Germany's Tim Böhme and Switzerland's Susannne Litscher won the short distance race.

Results of the Black Forest Ultra Marathon

Men (116 km): 1. Alban Lakata (Ö, Innsbruck) 4:23:06. 2. Hannes Genze (De, Sindelfingen) 0:19. 3. Urs Huber (Sz, Jonen) 0:21. 4. Thomas Stoll (Sz, Osterfingen) 0:21. 5. Sandro Spaeth (Sz, Uetendorf) 1:12. 6. Heinz Verbnjak (Ö, Klagenfurt) 2:35. 7. Jochen Käss (De) 7:20. 8. Thomas Dietsch (Fr, Molsheim) 9:17. 9. Roman Peter (Sz, Steg im Tösstal) 11:03. 10. Christian Schneidawind (De) 11:20.

Women (116 km): 1. Pia Sundstedt (Fi, Kokkola) 5:02:56. 2. Esther Süss (Sz, Küttigen) 2:50. 3. Dolores Rupp (Sz, Valens) 6:54. 4. Katrin Schwing (De, Mosbach) 18:01. 5. Fabienne Heinzmann (Sz, Visperterminen) 23:15

Men (77 km): 1. Tim Böhme (De, Freiburg) 3:05:20. 2. Daniel Eiermann (De, Freiburg) 2:35. 3. Benjamin Schmieg (De, Gomaringen) 5:33. 4. Marc Bassingthwaighte (Nam, Windhoek) 5:44. 5. Udo Bölts (De, Heitersberg) 6:30.

Women (77 km): 1. Susanne Litscher (Sz, Thal) 3:43:50. 2. Niki Fisher (Aus-Act) 6:26. 3. Andrea Degen (Sz, Buchberg) 11:21.